This invention relates in general to wheelchairs and, in particular, to wheelchair accessories. Most particularly, the invention relates to a footrest for wheelchairs.
A constant effort is made to produce wheelchairs that are user friendly. Focus is drawn towards producing wheelchairs that are strong and durable yet portable and lightweight. Use of high-strength, lightweight, aircraft-grade aluminum tubing in wheelchair frames has led to the production of lightweight wheelchairs without sacrificing strength and durability. Advancements in folding frame construction have led to wheelchairs that are more portable. The use of seat slings and canvas backrests has further contributed to lightweight construction, and thus to the portability of wheelchairs. Various innovations have been directed towards adjustable features. Pivotal seat connections permit the seat to be adjusted in inclination and elevation. Recent developments in wheel mounting assemblies permit camber adjustments quickly and without the aid of tools. Even advancements in the construction of footrest assemblies have rendered such assemblies easily movable relative to the wheelchair frame. Often, such assemblies are also easily detachable. Most usually, the footrest assemblies pivot from a position in front of the chair to a position beside the wheelchair. When beside the wheelchair, the footrest assembly will not interfere with the user""s ability to get into and out of the wheelchair. However, in this position, the footrest assembly could interfere with the ingress and egress of the wheelchair occupant in areas where a limited amount of space is available. To date, this problem has been addressed by removing the footrest assembly. Such footrest assemblies are often complex in construction and difficult to use, often demanding a great amount of dexterity from a wheelchair occupant. Consequently, this could be a cumbersome task for the wheelchair occupant.
What is needed is a simple, lightweight footrest assembly that is displaceable between a deployed position, a position beside the wheelchair side frame, and a position beneath the wheelchair seat readily and quickly, without the aid of tools.
The present invention is directed towards a footrest assembly that meets the foregoing needs. The footrest assembly is comprised of an extension tube and a mounting assembly for mounting the extension tube to a wheelchair frame. The mounting assembly comprises means for pivotally mounting an upper end of the extension tube to the wheelchair frame. A support bracket extends from the extension tube. Coupling means is provided for releasably coupling the support bracket relative to the wheelchair frame in a first position. The coupling means includes means for enabling the support bracket to selectively rotate to a second position beside the wheelchair frame and to a third position beneath the wheelchair seat.
In another embodiment of the invention, a footrest assembly is provided for a wheelchair having a side frame and a seat extending from the side frame. The side frame has a front tube. The foot tube has an upper end. An upwardly exposed opening is in the upper end. An upwardly facing shoulder is at the upper end. The assembly comprises an extension tube and a mounting assembly. The mounting assembly is structured to pivotally mount the footrest assembly for movement of about a substantially vertical axis relative to the front tube of the side frame of the wheelchair. The footrest assembly is further structured to be moved to a first position in front of the wheelchair, a second position beside the wheelchair, and a third position beneath the wheelchair seat.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, a wheelchair is provided comprising a side frame and a footrest assembly supported by the side frame. The side frame has a front tube with an upper end. An upwardly exposed opening is in the upper end and an upwardly facing shoulder is at the upper end. The footrest assembly comprises an extension tube and a mounting assembly. The mounting assembly comprises a pivotal joint, a support bracket and a latch assembly. The pivotal joint is supported by the upper end of the front tube. The support bracket extends from the extension tube. The support bracket is adapted to extend to the front tube at a position below the pivotal joint. The latch assembly is adapted to releasably latch the support bracket to the front tube so as to prevent pivotal movement of the footrest assembly.
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.